Artist&#39;s palette



Feb. 18, 1969 HUNG TAQ SHENG 3,428,167

ARTIST S PALETTE Filed March 1, 1967 United States Patent 3,428,167 ARTISTS PALETTE Hung Tao Sheng, 3010 Thornapple River Drive, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49506 Filed Mar. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 619,854 US. Cl. 2061.7 Int. Cl. B44d 3/02; B65d 65/02; B65b 11/00 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background This invention relates to an artists palette, and more particularly a specially configurated artists palette plate with a removable sheath thereon.

The basic palette used by painters for centuries comprises a plate which is gripped at its edge, on which dabs of the selected color paints are placed and on which the paints are mixed with a mixing knife to obtain selected color hues. Since a painting normally requires considerable time to complete to a desired state, the painter may take days or weeks to accomplish this. Further, since paints tend to dry and cake if left on the palette during inactive periods, the palette normally must be tediously cleaned after each session. Because of this, one patentee has suggested a paper pad type palette, enabling each sheet to be disposed of after use. However, since a painter may mix paints vigorously on a palette, the paper sheets tend to crumple or rip. Also, such pads are inconvenient to hold. Therefore, painters tend to prefer the age-old conventional type palette.

Another disadvantage of conventional palettes is their tendency to be discolored from their initial white by the paints. As a consequence, the artist can lose his color judgment of the relative hues.

Also, since a particular color may be obtained only after tedious mixing, the artist may wish to keep it from drying out until needed again. This cannot be conveniently done with available palettes.

It would further be desirable to have brush holding facility provided by the palette itself.

Summary of the invention It is an object of this invention to provide a sheathed palette assembly enabling the removal of the sheath and paint without washing and scraping, providing a stable surface for mixing paints or the like, and eliminating the problem of palette discoloration.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel palette assembly enabling a dab of paint to be conveniently covered and protected from drying for future use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a palette 3,428,167 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 assembly having facility for retaining brushes in a convenient position for use.

The novel palette assembly has a tapered palette plate and a correspondingly tapered cover sheath, preferably of transparent plastic, capable of being removably fitted tightly over the plate, with special finger-gripping portions of sheath protruding for sheath application and removal.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent from studying the detailed description and the drawings.

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a plan view of the novel palette assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the palette assembly;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the palette assembly, with a brush holder facility;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view taken on plane IV- IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on plane V--V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified palette assembly with a particular type of handle; and

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the assembly in FIG. 6.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to FLIG. 1, the palette assembly 10 there shown includes a palette plate 12 and a sheath 14. Plate 12 is sufficiently rigid to be self-supporting. It preferably has a generally elongated configuration, having one end 12' that includes gripping means such as a conventional thumb or finger opening 12a. The plate is tapered, having its side edges tapered from this one end toward the opposite end.

Sheath 14 is configurated correspondingly, i.e. having a tapered configuration matching the tapered portion of plate 12. This sheath has its larger width end open at 14' for receiving the smaller width opposite end of plate 12. This sheath could, in the broadest concept presented herein, be formed of a variety of flexible materials, including paper, plastic, and the like, but preferably is formed of a plastic such as polyethylene, and preferably is transparent or at least translucent, for reasons to be described hereinafter. When the sheath is fitted over plate 12, a loose relationship is maintained between the components until the last moment, to enable the application and removal of the sheath to be readily done. Only when the sheath is completely over the plate does it bind. This binding is desirable, and in fact, the sheath and palette are so formed that lateral portions of the sheath at its widest end, i.e. 14a, are purposely made to project beyond the plate to enable grasping thereof by ones fingers to pull the sheath into a tight binding relationship on the plate, causing the sheath to be completely smooth and taut. In this preferred form of the device, this lateral projection of the sheath end is achieved by having recessed or offset portions 12b in the palette.

The palette assembly in FIGS. 1 and 2 is preferably employed with the paint dabs 20 applied directly to the outer sheath surface. Since the sheath is tightened, and secure, the paints may be mixed as in central area 22,

which remains taut and does not wrinkle even with vigorous mixing action of the colors. After use, disposal of the paint dabs is readily made by grasping a protruding end 14b of sheath 14 projecting beyond the small width end of the plate, and pulling, to remove the sheath and paint for disposal. A clean sheath can then be applied for the next painting session.

Using this assembly, the palette 12 may be white, with sheath 14 being transparent, so that the hue of each paint can be judged with respect to a white reference. Further, the white does not become discolored since the paint does not actually contact it. Such a white palette may be a painted or enameled wood, metal or ceramic or preferably a molded or otherwise formed relatively rigid plastic such as nylon or polypropylene. Alternatively, the sheath may be white, in which case the palette need not be white.

Alternatively, each sheath may be white to form a reference for the paint hues.

The palette assembly may be utilized in a slightly different fashon if it is desired to maintain a color on the unit over a period of inactivity, without it drying and caking. Specifically, the paint may be applied directly to the palette plate 12 itself, and sheath 14. can be interfitted tightly with the plate in a fashion to preserve the paint and protect it from the drying air. It will be realized that the paint will not be smeared along the sheath when the sheath is applied and removed, since the sheath will fit fairly loosely until the last moment when its tapered sides edges bind on the tapered side edges of the plate.

Alternatively, if it is not desired to put the paint directly on the palette plate, but is still desired to maintain a particular dab of paint from drying during a period of inactivity, the paint may be applied to a first sheath 14 on the palette plate, and then a second sheath may be positioned over the first sheath to protect the paint. To use the paint again, the outer sheath is merely removed.

Preferably, the novel structure has brush retaining capacity as with the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, at the gripping end of the palette, either on the end edge itself as shown in phantom in FIG. 3, or on the side edge thereof as shown in solid in FIG. 3. The alternative end or side edge arrangement is to facilitate the alternate use of a palette either as projecting outwardly from ones hand, or projecting back from ones hand and resting upon the arm. In either case, the brush holding facility includes a plurality of perpendicular panels 30, 32, etc., parallel to each other, defining a plurality of brush-receiving grooves or slots therebetween. Brushes 34, 36, etc., may be inserted therein in the fashion illustrated in FIG. 3. These brushes may be retained by resilient frictional engaging means, as for example, a simple rubber band 40 stretched around the set of panels, and preferably fitting within a retaining recess 44 (FIG. 5) in the ends of the panels. Insertion of a brush handle distorts the rubber band sufiiciently to impart a retention force to the brush until it is removed.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, if it is desired to grip the larger width end of the sheath to the corresponding end of the palette with additional means, the modified palette assembly 100 employing the tapered palette plate 102 and sheath 104 in combination with a novel handle 106 may be employed.

Specifically, plate 102 has its side edges tapered from one end to the other, to fit with correspondingly dimensioned and configurated tapered sleeve 104 in the fashion previously indicated. Since handle unit 106 serves as a hand hold member, the protruding portion of the larger width end of the plate need not be employed in the fashion illustrated previously. Rather, sleeve 104 is made slightly longer in overall dimension than plate 102, with the wide diameter of sleeve 104 being slightly wider than the largest width of the plate, and the smaller width end of the sleeve being slightly smaller in width than the width of the adjacent plate portion. Hence, a fingergripping portion 104a extends on the larger end of the palette, and pull-off fingergripping-portion 104b extends on the smaller end.

Handle 106 is attached to the assembly after the sleeve is attached. Specifically, it comprises a spring type member as of spring steel or resilient plastic. It includes an elongated member extending transversely of the larger end of the palette. It has U-shaped gripping ends 106a, and an interconnecting portion 106b which is spaced from plate 102. Portion 106b has a convex configuration to enable its center portion to be depressed toward plate 102. Portion 10Gb terminates short of the U-shaped members 106a, and engages plate 102 spaced from the plate edges, to provide a pair of fulcrum points which, when portion 106b is depressed toward plate 102, causes the U-shaped portions 106a to spring away from the plate edges for simple release thereof. The U-shaped members preferably have a taper from one side edge to the other, matching that of the plate and sheath.

In use of this structure in FIGS. 6 and 7, therefore, the sheath is placed over the plate and pulled tight, then the handle is positioned over the plate from the small end of of the plate and slid toward the larger end where it grips the sheath and pulls it very tight on the plate. This serves to obtain and maintain tautness of the sheath.

Removal of the sheath and handle is readily accomplished by depressing spring portion 106b, to spring the U-shaped gripping ends 106a loose from the edge, enabling the handle to be slid in the opposite direction for release. The sheath can then be removed and discarded.

I claim:

1. An artists palette assembly comprising: a selfsupporting palette plate having hand holding means on one end, and having all blunt marginal edges with its side edges tapered convergently toward the opposite end; and a correspondingly tapered, plate-enveloping sheath having a plate receiving opening on its wider end, and slidable over said plate from said opposite end; said sheath having a Width with respect to said plate enabling it to be pulled into a tightly fitting, enveloping condition on said plate.

2. The palette assembly in claim 1 wherein the narrower end of said sheath has portions protruding beyond said plate opposite end when in said tightly fitting condition, to provide finger-gripping area to facilitate removal of said sheath from said plate.

3. The palette assembly in claim 1 wherein said sheath is an air impervious material.

4. The palette assembly in claim 3 wherein said material is a translucent plastic.

5. The palette assembly in claim 1 wherein said hand holding means is a handle formed of a removable spring member resiliently biased into engagement with the side edges of said plate, and protruding above the surface of said plate between said side edges.

6. The palette assembly in claim 5 wherein said removable spring member fits over the edges of said sheath as well as the edges of said plate, to clamp said sheath to said plate.

7. The palette assembly in claim 1 including brush holder means comprising a plurality of spaced panels defining brush receiving slots therebetween, and resilient means enclosing a portion of each of said slots, to effect a brush-retaining function for brushes inserted in said slots.

8. The palette assembly in claim 7 wherein said resilient means is a rubber band stretched around said panels, spaced from said plate.

9. The palette assembly in claim 1 wherein said sheath wider end, in its tightly fitting condition on said plate, has portions on its wider end protruding beyond said plate to provide fingergripping area to facilitate pulling said sheath into said condition.

10. The palette assembly in claim 9 wherein said plate has recessed edge portions to cause said sheath portions to protrude beyond said plate.

11. The palette assembly in claim 10 wherein said plate FOREIGN PATENTS on one end protrudes beyond said sheath when said 214,906 5/1958 Australia. sheath is in said tightly fitting condition. 813,431 2/1937 France.

271,732 6/ 1927 Great Britain. References Clted 6 1,048,062 12/1958 Germany. UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM T. DIXSON, In, Primary Examiner.

2,002,211 5/1935 Torney 220-41 X t 1,305,831 6/1919 Munkers 224 45 M- CASKIE, Asslsran Exammer- 2,242,737 5/1941 Alfreds 206 10 US. Cl. X.R. 2,792,163 5/1957 Kidwell 224-406 150-52 

